Work on flood damaged town hall continues

John Deehan

The town hall has been closed since the flooding which saw the building inundated with water from the neighbouring River Calder up to the height of the basement ceiling.

Work to remove asbestos from Padiham Town Hall as part of a wider scheme to repair the historic building following last year’s floods has been completed.

The Boxing Day floods caused massive damage to the Grade II listed landmark as well as to businesses and homes across the town.

The flooding affected power supplies and left the town hall contaminated with flood water. Work has since been carried out to allow limited use of the building where possible.

The flooding disturbed asbestos which has had to be removed by specialist contractors before the main renovation scheme could go ahead.

The council is in the process of appointing a contractor to carry out the major reinstatement work, which will include extra resilience measures to help reduce any impact if the building is affected by flooding in future.

That work is expected to start shortly and the aim is to complete the scheme and fully re-open the town hall in spring 2017.

Coun. Wajid Khan, the council’s Executive member for resources, said: “The flooding caused massive damage which requires specialist contractors to put right and which, due to the historic and architectural importance of the building, will take some time to complete.

“We are making every effort to ensure the reinstatement work is carried out in a timely and cost effective manner. At the same time we understand that the people of Padiham, and others that use the town hall, want to see it returned to its former glory and back in use.”